Project Engineer - Mechanical (Powertrain Machining & Assembly)Location: Southfield, MI
Job Type: Full-Time Contract with the opportunity to go Direct
Duration: Approximately 6 Months (Opportunity for Extension)
Schedule: Monday-Friday | 40 Hours/Week | Overtime May Be Required
Responsibilities- Lead mechanical engineering projects from concept through final customer acceptance.
- Serve as the primary technical interface between the customer, engineering teams, suppliers, and subcontractors.
- Review customer specifications, engineering standards, and project requirements.
- Coordinate system engineering activities to ensure consistent technical solutions.
- Develop and maintain project schedules, budgets, and engineering deliverables.
- Monitor project scope, costs, timing, and resource allocation.
- Manage engineering changes, including technical solutions, implementation strategy, timing, and cost impacts.
- Conduct project risk assessments and develop mitigation strategies.
- Support supplier selection, RFQ development, and supplier technical reviews.
- Lead engineering handoff meetings and participate in customer, supplier, and internal project reviews.
- Perform root cause analysis and resolve engineering issues.
- Track project KPIs, cost-to-complete (CTC), open issues, and engineering performance.
- Develop risk assessments and method statements for equipment installation.
- Capture and document lessons learned for continuous improvement.
Required Qualifications- Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automation Engineering, or related engineering discipline (Master's preferred).
- Minimum 5 years of experience in the automotive automation industry.
- Experience with Powertrain Machining and/or Assembly systems is required.
- Strong project engineering and project management experience.
- Excellent customer communication and leadership skills.
- Ability to manage multiple engineering activities simultaneously.
- Willingness to travel as project requirements dictate.
Required Technical Skills- Powertrain Machining & Assembly
- Mechanical Design of Automated Equipment
- Project Planning & Execution
- Change Management
- Clamping Strategy
- Cost Estimation
- Design for Manufacturing (DFM)
- Design to Installation & Commissioning
- Mechanical Systems Design
- Industrial Equipment & Machinery
- Scope, Budget & Schedule Management
- Risk Assessment & Safety Standards
- Supplier Management
- Customer Technical Support
- Engineering Change Management
- Process Engineering
- Layout Design
- Conveyor & Material Handling Systems
- Root Cause Analysis
- Value Engineering & Design-to-Cost
Preferred Experience- Automotive manufacturing automation
- Industrial machinery and automated assembly systems
- Conveyor and transportation systems
- Discrete event simulation
- Ergonomic evaluations
- Production planning and traceability systems
- Reuse/retooling assessments
- Commissioning and installation support